Understanding Work Centers in SAP EWM

 

Every distribution center performs activities like packing, distribution or weighting centers. These activities are important and need to execute efficiently. I can see SAP’s EWM Work Center functionality is 90% improvement from SAP WM functionality.
SAP EWM Work Center is are one of the important functionality. This blog post explains the basic functionality of work centers along with some important master data and configuration points. In general terminology, we can understand SAP work centers are basically 3 types.

Packing purpose – /N/SCWM/PACK – generally repacking of HU’s, creating new HU’s, and prints packing documents.
Quality Inspection count – /N/SCWM/QINSP count and post differences change weight of the carton HU’s.
Deconsolidation in Goods Receipt – /N/SCWM/DCONS distributing mixed handling units.

Definition of SAP EWM Work Center:

The work center is a physical unit in the warehouse, in which you can perform warehouse activities such as packing, distribution, or weighing.

You must assign each work center to a warehouse number, storage type, and storage bin. Note that you can only use storage types that have the storage type role ‘Work Center’ (E), ‘Pick Point’ (B), or ‘Identification and Pick Point’ (C). You can configure more than once work center for each storage type in the system.

Configuration:

You can assign an inbound and outbound section to each work section.. The Implementation Guide SPRO> Extended Warehouse Management > Master Data > Work Center.

Specify Work Center Layout:

Used to control which areas and tab pages appear on the transaction. You can see standard layouts from 0001 warehouse for Dcon-DKMX, packing-VPMX, quality-QI, for VAS-VAS1.

This layout is very important that determines the functionality controls along with Tab related data. BADI’s to activate for any interface works.

Define SAP EWM Work Center:

Each work center must be assigned to a warehouse number, a storage type, and a storage bin. This is the important configuration step where for every work center you define with layout and storage type that contains several controls like repack, external step, print determination, process type and several others.

Now the configuration steps are completed then we can see the example packing function with /N/SCWM/PACK if you not assigned a work center to a terminal then you need to enter warehouse number

Master Data setup:

You can assign a work center to your terminal in the system, so that during packing, the system automatically fills in the correct warehouse number and your work center. To do this, from the SAP menu choose Extended Warehouse Management> Master Data> Work Center> Define Master Data Attributes, and assign your terminal to the work center. You can also assign any scales that are connected to your work center. Transaction: /N/SCWM/TWORKST

Handling units Functions – Weight, Close, put back, print, delete, empty and aggregate

Product – Repack, Post differences

Warehouse Task – Repack, Post differences

/N/SCWM/PACK

The display is divided into the left and right screen areas. You use the left screen area mainly for navigation, and for quick repacking of handling units and products (only using the mouse). In the right screen area, you can request various detailed information about the individual entries.

The left screen area groups the display according to the following objects:

 

For more information on work centers please click below help.sap.com links

Work centers definition

Packing at Work center

I will next prepare my blog posting on PPF which is again a very important functionality in SAP EWM